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Kealakehe Elementary School

Q: Is Kealakehe Elementary School a good school?

Kealakehe Elementary School ranks in the bottom 4.4% of Hawaii elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Kealakehe Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 924 students attended Kealakehe Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Kealakehe Elementary School?

Students at Kealakehe Elementary School are 48% Pacific Islander, 20% Hispanic, 18% Two or more races, 8% Asian, 6% White.

Q: What schools do graduates of Kealakehe Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Kealakehe Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Kealakehe Intermediate School High : Kealakehe High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

195^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 204 Hawaii Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Hawaii elementary schools

Summary

Kealakehe Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, serving grades PK-5 with an enrollment of around 900 students. However, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Hawaii elementary schools over the past several years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating it is performing significantly below the state average.

Kealakehe Elementary School's test scores are consistently low across all subjects and grade levels, with only 22% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, 23% in Mathematics, and 17% in Science in the 2024-2025 school year. The school also faces a very high chronic absenteeism rate, reaching 44% in the 2023-2024 school year, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Kealakehe Elementary School has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 64.85% to 73.69% over the past few years, suggesting a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Honaunau Elementary, Konawaena Elementary, and Kona Pacific - PCS, generally perform much better than Kealakehe Elementary, with higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism rates, and higher statewide rankings. Despite Kealakehe Elementary School's higher spending per student ($15,425 in 2018-2019) and relatively low student-teacher ratio, these factors do not seem to translate into better academic outcomes for the school.

924

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,425

Per pupil spending ?

68.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

74-5118 Kealakaa St
Kailua Kona, HI 96740

(808) 327-4308

District: Hawaii Department of Education

Students who attend Kealakehe Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Kealakehe Intermediate School
High:	Kealakehe High School

Racial breakdown:

Pacific Islander:

48.3%

Hispanic:

19.6%

Two or more races:

18.0%

See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

Compare Kealakehe Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2015 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2015

!Near the bottom of Hawaii Department of Education's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

195^th of 204

Hawaii public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 18 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

178^th of 182Elementary Schools in the Hawaii Department of Education

1^st of 1Hawaii Department of Education among Hawaii districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	8.5	195 of 204	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	191 of 207	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.5	192 of 195	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.4	190 of 193	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.0	192 of 196	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.9	184 of 196	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.5	178 of 193	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	17.9	178 of 207	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	11.6	181 of 195	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	26.7	150 of 194	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	25.3	166 of 196	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.4	154 of 195	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.4	150 of 191	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	19.6	158 of 183	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	34.2	141 of 191	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	23.8	120 of 146	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	32.7	139 of 192	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	51.5	84 of 194	56.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	21.1	133 of 160	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	14.0	116 of 125	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	44.2	143 of 203	29.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	13.7	117 of 123	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	171 of 198	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	22.6	14 of 17	17.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.3	101 of 165	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	7.8	110 of 110	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.9	178 of 196	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	49.9	83 of 153	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.9	179 of 207	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	9.9	155 of 171	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	189 of 202	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2025)46th percentile+41 vs school

Hispanic (2025)18th percentile+13 vs school

African American (2024)17th percentile+9 vs school

White (2025)9th percentile+5 vs school

Asian (2025)7th percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)5th percentile~ school

Pacific Islander (2025)<1st percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Hawaii (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics23%

English Language Arts22%

Science17%

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, October 31, 2015

a great school that haß a wonderful support team for struggling learners. It has many programs for families and communities. Even with a high SE rate and growing ELL pop. The staff is very responsive and goes the extra mile for students.
From a grateful parent Close Quote

Schools Near Kealakehe Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				HSA Science (2025)	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	HSA Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kealakehe Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	74-5118 Kealakaa St	Kailua Kona	96740	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 327-4308	924	64	14.5	68.2%	53 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	181 (19.6%)	78 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	446 (48.3%)	166 (18.0%)	8.5	195^th of 204 public elementary schools	4.4%		12.9	191^st of 207 public elementary schools	7.7%	4	17.0	22.0	23.0	$15,425	$1,328	$14,097
Innovations - PCS	Public, Charter	K-8	75-5815 Queen Kaahumanu Hwy	Kailua Kona	96740	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 331-3130	241	14	17.2	42.7%	74 (30.7%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (19.5%)	19 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.9%)	82 (34.0%)	76.7	59^th of 204 public elementary schools	71.1%		74.5	71^st of 207 public elementary schools	65.7%	12	64.0	66.0	50.0	$8,835	$951	$7,884
Kahakai Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	76-147 Royal Poinciana Dr	Kailua Kona	96740	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 327-4313	507	35	14.4	56.4%	60 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	116 (22.9%)	65 (12.8%)	1 (0.2%)	174 (34.3%)	91 (17.9%)	38.1	129^th of 204 public elementary schools	36.8%		32.1	149^th of 207 public elementary schools	28.0%	20	42.0	44.0	38.0	$15,424	$1,299	$14,125
Holualoa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	76-5957 Mamalahoa Hwy	Holualoa	96725	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 322-4800	438	24	18.2	47.7%	96 (21.9%)	0 (0.0%)	128 (29.2%)	31 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (13.5%)	124 (28.3%)	65.6	86^th of 204 public elementary schools	57.8%		48.6	117^th of 207 public elementary schools	43.5%	31	57.0	54.0	52.0	$15,490	$1,362	$14,128
Kona Pacific - PCS	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	79-7595 Mamalahoa Hwy	Kealakekua	96750	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 322-4900	177	18	10.1	62.7%	82 (46.3%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (26.6%)	3 (1.7%)	1 (0.6%)	10 (5.6%)	34 (19.2%)	25.2	160^th of 204 public elementary schools	21.6%		46.3	125^th of 207 public elementary schools	39.6%	35	28.0	41.0	34.0	$9,540	$1,357	$8,183
Konawaena Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	81-901 Onouli Rd	Kealakekua	96750	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 323-4555	505	37	13.6	64.4%	49 (9.7%)	1 (0.2%)	172 (34.1%)	40 (7.9%)	1 (0.2%)	136 (26.9%)	106 (21.0%)	42.1	121^st of 204 public elementary schools	40.7%		45.3	129^th of 207 public elementary schools	37.7%	8	41.0	41.0	48.0	$16,620	$1,851	$14,769
Honaunau Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	83-5360 Mamalahoa Hwy	Captain Cook	96704	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 328-2727	148	11	13.4	93.2%	18 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (41.2%)	5 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (27.0%)	24 (16.2%)	68.6	78^th of 204 public elementary schools	61.8%		67.9	84^th of 207 public elementary schools	59.4%	6	56.0	55.0	57.0	$18,198	$1,976	$16,222

Frequently Asked Questions about Kealakehe Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Kealakehe Elementary School?

Students at Kealakehe Elementary School are 48% Pacific Islander, 20% Hispanic, 18% Two or more races, 8% Asian, 6% White.

How many students attend Kealakehe Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 924 students attended Kealakehe Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Kealakehe Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Kealakehe Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Kealakehe Intermediate School
High : Kealakehe High School

Is Kealakehe Elementary School a good school?

Kealakehe Elementary School ranks in the bottom 4.4% of Hawaii elementary schools.

What district is Kealakehe Elementary School in?

Hawaii Department of Education

Rate Kealakehe Elementary School!

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HIHawaii Elementary School Rankings

HIHawaii District Rankings

Schools in Kailua Kona, HI

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Hawaii State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.